I was borrn in Illinois but spent 4 years in Washington State between the ages of 9 and 13. That is all it took for me to get hooked on the mountains. We moved to MN when I was 13 and I my ambitions turned "elsewhere". As I started looking at the back half of 35 something sparked in me and I found myself "peakbagging" on business trips before I even knew what that was. When I found this site it was like throwing crack at an addict. I look for peaks everywhere and am hoping to get out west soon to make good on some promises I made to myself when I was young. I read a lot of mountaineering books and if you are looking for a fun peak in the Midwest, give me a shout.